Read Online Moonstone, Magic That Binds (Book 1) by Guy Antibes - Free Book Online

boats, but anything of a good size is called a ship.”
    Lotto nodded and smiled back. “The ship, then.”
    “That’s a pretty accurate dream. Did you dream of anything more?” Mander walked to his office and Lotto followed. He didn’t think that there would be anyone coming to the shop in weather like this.
    “Nothing more on the ocean. I had a few sales while you were gone—students from the King’s College.”
    Mander looked up from the sales page that Lotto had kept. “They paid full price?”
    Lotto smiled. “They asked for discounts and I told them that I couldn’t give them any because I didn’t know how to calculate them. They offered to make the calculations, but I’m sure they would have taken advantage.”
    “Indeed they would. Nice work. How far have you gotten into the reading books?”
    “I’ve read five. The three you gave me were too easy once I read through them three times each, so I found that any books with larger print were easier to read. As I worked on the shelves, I found a couple and read about the princess and the highwayman and another about a knight who fought his way to be king.”
    “Good!” Mander seemed pleased and that made Lotto even more content.
    “Let me tell you where I went since you’ve been reading your novels. I can tell you of some real life adventure.”
    Lotto looked up. “She’s gone. I hope she’s in a carriage.”
    “Who?” Mander furrowed his brow.
    Lotto gasped. “I have a story, too. I know where the Princess Restella is.”
    Mander shrugged and walked into the little kitchen, but Lotto noticed that Mander’s eyebrows went up a bit when he mentioned the princess’s name. “Oh, good. You’ve got a fire in the stove. I’ll fix some tea and then we can trade stories. Something good to do on a slow day.” Mander rubbed his hands.
    Could Lotto trust Mander with his story? He looked at Mander’s back and decided that with the opportunities that his employer had given to him, Mander wouldn’t throw him out on the streets if he learned about his magic.
    Lotto blew the steam away on a mug of tea that Mander put in front of him and began.
    “Have you ever heard of the Moonstone? I found it. I can tell where Princess Restella is at any time.”
    “So, you are the village half-wit of Heron’s Pond?” Mander Hart didn’t seem surprised by the information. That disappointed Lotto. “The Princess said the finder was a boy. You’ve grown quite a bit since the Princess came back.”
    “So you’ve heard the story.” So Mander had taken him in because of the princess? “You took pity on me?”
    “Not pity, but I admit to curiosity and I did need assistance at the shop. I’ll be honest with you, I do some work for the king. I’ve heard the story and I’ll believe anything you say because Princess Restella is presently riding in that rain to the east with a unit of the king’s army to make sure the Oringians keep to their side of the border. Quickly point to where she is!”
    Lotto closed his eyes and pointed towards the back of the shop.
    “Very good, Lotto. I’ve heard Restella’s story more than a few times, but I’ve never heard yours. The princess fancies herself as a great warrior, yet she is currently sopping wet, riding along with the supply train. Your Moonstone has found a new home in the pommel of a sword she’s had specially made.”
    “It has?” Lotto said. “It knocked me out when the princess took it out of my hand. I could feel the power come from the stone. I fainted again, overcome by something and woke up to find the princess and her guards gone.”
    “I believe you. Did you know that she and others could touch it without feeling a thing? What happened after that?”
    “While I was under, I had a dream of my parents coming from across the sea. My dream of the ocean?”
    Mander nodded. “Continue,” he said urging Lotto on with a wave of his hand.
    “I lived behind the house of a healer woman and after I told her